Asbestos testing ordered for county sheriff's offices

Tuesday

Mar 5, 2013 at 5:00 PM

By Dennis PelhamDaily Telegram Staff Writer

The air in the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department offices is to be tested for asbestos.

Sheriff Jack Welsh questioned the safety of the air in the building after reviewing a report on a 2009 building evaluation that identified 69 items that contain asbestos. One of the locations is plaster on office walls that has been crumbling and falling onto radiators.

“I am concerned about the environment inside the building after finding out about the asbestos issue,” Welsh told county commissioners at a physical resources committee meeting on Monday.

“If it’s OK, great. If it’s not, we need to do something for the employees who work inside the building,” Welsh said. He asked for testing and any needed work to protect employees without waiting for decisions on renovating or replacing the 60-year-old building.

County maintenance supervisor Tim Mehan said he contacted a company last week to discuss proposed air-quality testing in two other county buildings. He is to seek quotes from several companies to test the sheriff’s department building.

“If we have a problem we will move quickly to solve it,” said commission chairman John Tuckerman, R-Blissfield.

Committee chairman Cletus Smith, R-Madison Twp., said air-quality testing should provide direction about what needs to be done to protect employees.

The committee is also moving forward on deciding the building’s future. Committee members toured the building last month for a first-hand look at its condition.

Kreighoff-Lenawee construction company has been asked to evaluate the building and come up with options, said county administrator Martin Marshall.

“We need to have that analysis before we can proceed in any constructive way,” Marshall said. A report from Kreighoff-Lenawee is expected before the committee’s April 1 meeting, he said.

The report on the 2009 evaluation of asbestos in the building stated there should be no concern for employees working in the building if proper maintenance procedures are followed, Marshall said.

Mehan said recommendations for dealing with asbestos in the building are being followed.

Air testing is a “step in the right direction,” Smith said. “I’m sure there are parts of that building that are a concern.”